Where Nobody Can Hear You Meow

Back in October 1963, France sent the first-and only-cat into suborbital space. The cat, Félicette, had electrodes implanted in her brain which sent neurological signals back to Earth.

Over our planet’s long history, only a few living things have lifted off from Earth’s surface and ventured into the void of space. Humans are typically the subject of the most attention among these creatures. Until this day, only a tiny portion of all humans — nearly 600 — have traveled into space. You might occasionally hear of space monkeys or even space dogs, but what about space cats?

Throughout the entire history of spaceflight, only one cat has been successfully launched into space: a black-and-white female named Félicette. While the Soviet Union and the United States managed to be the two major space projects in the 20th century, other nations also aimed to improve space science. The French space program somehow won third place in this “race”.

Research data regarding the impact of space were scarce at that time, so France’s researchers made the decision to move on to a larger mammal: cats — in order to more thoroughly explore the topic.

Initially, Félicette was not alone. Thirteen cats were bought from a pet store in 1963 by the Centre d’Enseignement et de Recherches de Médecine Aéronautique (CERMA), all of which were probably rescued from the streets. All the cats were female and were chosen based on demeanor. After several rigorous testing, Félicette was selected to board the Véronique AGI 47 rocket and sent aloft from the Colomb Bacar rocket base at Algeria.

Félicette had electrodes implanted onto her brain, so their neurological activity could be monitored throughout the flight. Electrical impulses were applied to the brain and a leg during the flight to stimulate responses. After 15 minutes of soaring through the suborbital skies, Félicette parachuted back to Earth and was retrieved. Her return, however, was brief, as scientists euthanized her a few months later to examine the physical effects of space travel on her brain. Félicette, on the other hand, would remain France’s sole space cat until today.

Research Using Animals: Then and Now

Sending life to the unknown possess so many risks. At that time when sending human was thought to be too much a sacrifice, humans look to animals. The famous Laika mission touches the soft side of the Soviet scientist and it haunts him for the rest of his life — Oleg Gazenko, one of the leading scientists behind Laika’s mission, said in 1998: “The more time passes, the more I’m sorry about it. We shouldn’t have done it… We did not learn enough from this mission to justify the death of the dog.”

Here are a few things we’d like to note for people who are being vocal against research involving animals:

1. Animals, particularly those with medical implants, are treated with care to the point of spoilage. It is essential for animals to feel comfortable/happy throughout an implant experiment since the data generated from distress may affect the accurate data. It’s normal to see animals being happier throughout a behavioral study, for example, because they know what they’ll get in return, because they know the treatment they receive for doing so.
2. The use of animals in research has resulted in a significant amount of benefit. But, if you are truly opposed to animal experimentation, perhaps you should not take use of all the benefits that have been made accessible to you as a result. There will be no prescription drugs, particularly antibiotics. There are no surgical methods. Certainly not a new remedy, which was carefully investigated using technologies created with mice and rabbits, despite being end-point manufactured in plants.
3. Animal research is quite strictly regulated as it needs to be. For example, t o a committee called IACUC (American Association for Laboratory Animal Science), researchers must precisely specify and justify their studies, including why they need the exact number of animals they need, as well as techniques for humane sacrifice. The IACUC is made up of administrators, senior researchers, and local veterinarians. At that point, getting animal research permitted is quite challenging. Only tests that are identified as being only realistically conducted exactly as asked by the researchers and under no less stringent conditions and that address an issue that needs to be addressed are allowed.

Researchers who must use animal models are not some monsters chasing pets around the room with knives. There is a very real need for help on answering difficult concerns that only an animal can offer. Utmost respect is to be offered to these animals.

Regarding this, NASA explain on their website, “Without animal testing in the early days of the human space program, the Soviet and American programs could have suffered great losses of human life. These animals performed a service to their respective countries that no human could or would have performed. They gave their lives and/or their service in the name of technological advancement, paving the way for humanity’s many forays into space,”

Today, space agencies are no longer sending animals into space, in part because it is considered cruel, and partly because new technologies make using animals to test the effects of space unnecessary. Sacrificing a ‘research animal’ is unfortunately a critical aspect to some experiments. But, be assured, even the methods of sacrifice are heavily controlled and done humanely. It’s not as barbaric as most people think. Though animals in space are now uncommon, they played an important part in early space programs that finally did put people in orbit.

Author: Lazuardyas Ligardi (L. Ligardi Díaz)